well hey guys, i've been reading and reading, and also waiting to be activated

well i will have lots of questions i will ask as i move along, first off i'll tell you about the car..

1985 Chevrolet Corvette l98 114,000mi. $3,900and crappy pic


i get it next friday

first GM car , been a mustang guy before this so im not new to modding, just to this particular engine

first site i looked at was MAmotorworks saw a few things i wanted to get but reasearched alot here and alot, say its pointless.But i wanna double check with the guys one here who have done this

mods to think about getting

(1)exhaust:buying from GIJOE hopefully
(2a)GEARS:need help i think with the low rpms on this motor i should go with a 3.27 through 3.47 set, but of course having a bunch of mustangs im partial to 4.10s
(2b)airfoil:i mean its only 24.99 on Mid america
(3)accel base and runners: heard not much of a point without heads or cams
(4)CAMS:well since the car will b fairly stock not sure which to go with, i've never been good with cams
(5)100shot possibly.

numbers are in the order i will get them

i am very open to opinions but nothing drastic as u can see i have a short mod list i will eventually go with H/C/I path later on so no advice on that yet and wont care to change the cam when i have to so im looking for the best cam as of listed mods

IM aware of other mods, but i would like ppl who have them to suggest, or decline any im planning of mods i listed

thanks and pleas ehelp me learn

 

Save the money, pitch the airfoil idea. They're useless.

 

have u bought an airfoil?

how about the others? is it true about there being no point in getting the base and runners?

 

Welcome. Im new also. I drive an 89 L98 all stock . runs fast enough for me. Save your money on all those engine mods. L98 engine is very limited in making more horses without spending tons of money. Just my .02

Enjoy your corvette. I used to be ford before 1980. I switched to chevy in 1980. One of the best decisions I ever made.

Oh yea, pitch the mid america catalog. They are overpriced.

 

I haven't purchased an airfoil cause I have read PLENTY of times over how they don't show any positive benefit. Also, check out Vader's site... he has a great comprehensive overview of L98 mods worth while...

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/vader86/

 

How does it run ? If it runs good I would drive it awhile and get a good idea of what might need immediate attention. Why start mods and find out it needs something major. Enjoy it awhile and if a mechanical problem pops up address that. I know its exciting to have a vette, but they are also prone to minor problems on a regular basis. You can start hating it fast if you let yourself get bogged down it mods and not ocassionally enjoying the fruits of your labor. We are all here to help and welcome, lots of knowledge here.

 

thanks man great site

 

it runs very well actually and turns over like a new car

all these mods will b put in over a bit of time, i dont rush things

 

Welcome

Heads, intake, runners and plenum combined with exhaust work will get things rolling. I still am running the stock cam and it performs great.

 

(1)exhaust:buying from GIJOE hopefully - You can see some real gains from a free-flowing exhaust system, especially true duals. You can expect to see over 20-30chp gain if FL headers are included.
(2a)GEARS:need help i think with the low rpms on this motor i should go with a 3.27 through 3.47 set - either of these is fine for a L98 but wouldn't go there right away
(2b)airfoil:i mean its only 24.99 on Mid america - skip it
(3)accel base and runners: - they will be worth about 10-15chp
(4)CAMS:well since the car will b fairly stock not sure which to go with - the '85 L98 has a flat-tappet cam so you will need some good RRs to boost the cam effect. TPIS has some flat-tappet cams for L98.
(5)100shot possibly. - don't care for juice personally

I would also include:
-cut lid with K&N: worth 10chp
-160deg T-stat & fan swithch: worth 10chp
-Trans-Go shift kit

You can benefit well from a nice set of hi-flow heads, usually worth 25-30chp.

Enjoy your new Vette...

 

The '85 is a great year, i've got one as well. It can handle a 100 shot with ease stock. Be careful though cause if you've got an auto you risk tearing up the rear end if you beef it up too much.

However, you might want to ditch the nitrous idea for now if you want power all the time. A good set of aluminum heads and headers will go a long way. Add a cam to that and you've got 300+RWHP easy.

 

thanks guys for the help i appreciate it

power all the time isnt a big issue, im happy with at lest a mid 13 on motor and whatever else i can get with nitro

how/ where can i find me some 89 heads? used/new/fully assembled-whatever doesnt really matter

 

You really need to realize that the '85 is one of the best due to the TRW forged pistons, I believe '84 and '85 were the only years fo this. So N2O would be fine in appropriate doses.

The compression on the large '85 iron smog heads is 76 cc and about 9:1. The '89 AL heads have around 56cc and the compression with your flat top pistons would push 11:1 on today's 93 gas.

Might be a bit too much. Just to give you an idea

3 angled my iron heads
TPIS long tube header
450/472 214/224 cam
Ported the stock base and plenum
Accel runners


On a 4 wheel drive dyno which has a larger power loss than a 2 wheel drive dyne per the dyno manufacturer. The power conversion to the crank was 28% with an automatic and 25% with manual

The numbers were 224 RWHP = 311 crank and 289 RWT = 401 crank

These are real world numbers. The car will run a tick under 5 second 0-60. I never took it to the track after the mods, but when stock it ran low 14s.

The L98 is all about torque and at 4500 RPM the game is all over for HP

 

Either someone is giving it away or you're stealing it - but $3900 Vettes are generally sloppy seconds or leftover thirds. No offense, but in this price range there are usually quite a few problems to deal with first - performance later on.

 

You need to save your money for now, alot of problems will creep up for the car soon.

Give it 6 months before you start doing anything, at least. You need to get to know the car and figure out what you like and dislike about it.

Best money you can spend right now is on a Helm Shop Manual, helminc.com.

 

i dont know if i've mentioned this but i have seen the car already checked for problems, been researching for a long time so i know what to look for, its easy to find cheap cars in FL i can get c5's for 12-15k with 70-90k miles

 

Start with exhaust: LT headers, true duals, performance mufflers.

After that you can work on the intake side. Lots of options.

 

Then why not buy one? Your youthful exuberance is showing and though there's nothing wrong with that, putting 5 to 6K into a reliable nitrous eating motor (and nothing into 22 year old paint or the interior or the steering rack assuming it wasn't allready replaced, etc, etc) might be better spent on a better example. The downside is that you take something and because you can't afford it, start ripping things off and out that no longer work. Granted it's your car, but you end up with a Vette no one else wants meaning that it reaches it's demise at the crusher leaving the hobby without another example of what was America's premier sports car.

 

THanx how hard is it to install the headers? looks like there is plenty of room

dont have 12k cash, and if i did i would buy an lt4 but wasnt really the point i should of said "PEOPLE" can buy vettes for 12-15k with high mileage around here

 

Have a 89 L98 and bought an airfoil in 1997. SAVE THE MONEY but if you want it, get the one that doesn't use fasteners. Heard one or two stories of the screw getting sucked in and ******* the engine.

Just up grade my exhaust with a Corsa from stock and THAT was noticible improvement.